As a conventional thermophila detector, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2663612 discloses a thermophila which is constituted of a plurality of series-connected thermocouples comprised of a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor. In such an infrared detector, the Seebeck effect is used. That is, the amount of infrared radiation (quantity of heat), which is incident on the infrared detector, is measured based on the electromotive force generated by a temperature difference between hot junctions and cold junctions of the thermocouples when the heat generated by absorption of infrared radiation is transferred to the thermocouples in an infrared absorbing film.
The above-mentioned conventional infrared detector is used as, for example, a pixel of an infrared detector array. That is, a plurality of infrared detectors are arranged on a substrate in an array pattern. By picking up the electromotive force generated by each infrared detector as a pixel information signal, the difference in the amount of infrared radiation due to the different position is measured.